Hello pootie and woozle lovers!
A little over two years ago, I published a diary called “She Would Have Turned Twelve” about the recent death of my beloved cockapoo, Angee. I wanted to follow up with this because I need your wise advice.
Last September, I welcomed a new doggy into my life, a small white poodle mix named Casper. Casper came to me through a local poodle rescue organization, which in turn got him from an area animal shelter. He was initially found wandering around as a stray. A photo taken on the date he was brought in shows him huddled in a corner with long, matted fur. The shelter records state that he was born in January 2016, which would make him four years old now.
When I got Casper, he was a few pounds overweight and a bit pokey when he walked. In the months since, he has lost 1.5 pounds, gained some strength in his legs, and has developed a nice walking pace. He loves walks, and we go on several a day. Whereas initially he seemed to need a lot of sleep, now he’s much more energetic and walks with a jaunty step. That said, since he is overweight and has a long body with short legs, jumping onto furniture can be a challenge for him. He will either use a little stairstep to get up, or I lift him.
The issue I’m having is with his veterinary care. For some background: this dog had lived with four different people in the nine months since leaving the animal shelter, and has had several medical exams. These exams included blood tests, heart checks, etc. Each doctor found him to be basically healthy except that he needed to lose some weight. They also thought that he could be around 5 or 6 years old based on an inspection of his teeth. A few days after I adopted Casper, I took him to the vet located nearby me (not the same vet that treated Angee) for a wellness check up, per the poodle rescue’s requirements. This vet was used by my neighbor and, at least according to Yelp, seemed to be fairly well regarded. My neighbor is agnostic about them, neither loving nor hating them.
The doctor examined Casper and found what she determined to be a “low-grade” heart murmur. I was surprised, as my dog’s previous veterinary check ups did not show any issues with the heart. Later, the doctor called and told me their analysis of my dog’s urine found a number of rods in his urine, suggesting he could have a urinary tract infection. She stated that this was unusual, as male dogs did not typically get infections. She wanted to send his sample to the lab for testing. Okay, I said, since I did not want my dog to have a urinary tract infection. Of course that cost more money. The sample came back positive for infection and I gave Casper prescribed antibiotics for a week.
The next urinary test came back infection free. However, because the urinary tract infection is so unusual in male dogs, the doctor suggested that Casper have an ultrasound to determine whether there was anything going on with his internal plumbing that could be a problem. I reluctantly said okay: if Casper has health issues, might as well know them now. So in October, he had the ultrasound. It revealed that his internal plumbing was fine, but that (1) his organ age suggested he was between 8 and 10 years old (!), and (2) he had a mass on his liver.
I nervously asked the doctor what she would recommend regarding the mass, whether it merited aggressive treatment or monitoring. She recommended having another ultrasound in 3 to 4 months to see whether the mass grew before determining further action. She further noted that if the mass was cancer, it likely was not the type that would metastasize. I said okay to waiting, though for the next several months, had fear that the mass was growing and was cancerous. The doctor did not tell me at the time, but the mass was in fact very small.
Four months later, my dog had the second ultrasound, as well as a separate procedure to have a couple of growths removed (fortunately non-cancerous) from the back of his head, and a dental cleaning. For the second ultrasound, they shaved his belly and part of his chest. I asked that the technician try to get a sample of the mass if possible to see whether it was cancerous. That cost more, but I wanted to know how to deal with this mass. The doctor told me during the ultrasound that the technician could get a sample. Overall, the entire day cost me $2,400.
A few days later, I learned about the results of the scan and the labs. The good news was that the scan showed the liver mass had not grown, and the labs showed no cancer for the growths on Casper’s skin. The less-good news was that the results for the liver mass were inconclusive. That’s because the sample was not large enough, and therefore the vet could not tell whether the mass was cancerous or not. The doctor told me that I could choose to either further monitor the mass for 6 to 12 months, or be aggressive and be referred out to a specialty vet who would have to cut into Casper and remove the mass. I am still trying to decide, but my inclination is to monitor the mass. I don’t want to put Casper through an invasive procedure for what could be nothing. When I mentioned wanting to monitor the mass, the doctor said offhandedly that they could do an X-ray of Casper’s chest to make sure the mass had not spread to his lungs.
I felt like screaming. If that was a concern, why didn’t she arrange to have the X-ray done on the same date as the ultrasound and all of Casper’s other procedures? So now I might have to take him back to the doctor to have his fur shaved again, deny him food and water, and subject him to the stress of yet another test? Why, when the mass had not grown any larger? And hadn’t she previously said that if the mass was cancerous, it was likely not the type that would metastasize? Meanwhile, this whole time Casper has been bright and energetic, not showing any sign of illness.
Am I wrong in feeling like this vet is mainly interested in gouging me with extra procedures and tests for my dog? With all of the doctor’s visits the past five months, I have spent close to $4,000. It feels as though there is always something extra my dog needs, that requires another test or another medication. Since my dog is a rescue with a spotty history, I would probably dismiss it if not for the fact that the other vets this past year did not find all of these things wrong with Casper. I suspect that if I go through with getting my dog’s chest X-ray, they will find no cancer, but “Oh, there’s something on there that could be [potentially harmful thing that requires multiple follow up procedures].” As much as the money hurts, my real concern is subjecting Casper to unnecessary stress.
Should I instead feel grateful that my dog is receiving such attentive care? After Angee died, I often wondered what would have happened if the doctor had urged us to take her in for lab work at the first sign of blood in her stool. Would those 4 or 5 extra days have been enough time to stop her illness before it was too late? I would rather know my dog has a liver mass than not, rather know he has a heart murmur than not. I just can’t help but wonder if this vet purposely tries to play up the bad-case scenarios to get anxious pet parents like me to keep paying for new tests, procedures, and medications.
My instincts tell me it would be ridiculous to force Casper to get a chest X-ray when the doctor never suggested it until after the second ultrasound. That tells she does not view it as too great an urgency, more of a “just in case.” I want my pup to be healthy and to live with me for many years, but I don’t want to subject him to tests and X-rays that he does not need. Have you had experiences like this, fellow pootie and woozle lovers, and what are your thoughts?
P.S: I have pet health insurance. I submitted a claim for the first time and am waiting to see how much they will refuse to pay.